We recently spoke to Victoria Bolton about the successful Rude Boy USA book series and her plans. She tells us that screenwriter Doug Klozzner has already completed a movie treatment. “It is just as good as the book. I am not just saying it because it is my story, but it is.” Bolton laughs. “The majority of the elements that made Rude Boy USA a good read are still there. Other parts are left for future projects concerning the series. If we included everything that was in the book, the movie would be about four hours long, and it is only focusing on book one for now.”
The latest version of Mafia Mania will have a different look from the similar genre movies of the past. The characters in Rude Boy USA are of different races, and it introduces us to an African American Playboy waitress who eventually joins the group under unfortunate circumstances. Bolton insists that the film has political elements, but the focus is not only on the hardships of the minority characters. “Every film that includes blacks in the 1960’s doesn’t have to include the images that we have seen numerous times in movies. Yes, it was happening, and we all know it. I wanted to have a different spin on things. These guys did well considering what kind of business they were in. They had a group that was out of the ordinary in how they carried themselves and were proudly integrated. When you put different personalities in a small space that deals with money and power you get issues such as hierarchy, sense of entitlement, heartbreak and frustration. We are used to seeing mob films with all of the same elements, the violence, the flash, the language, and style. We see those details here, but the focus is on how things were on the inside. This movie is personality based. These men were not pushovers. All of them were strong minded, good-looking and their lives were not depressing.”
The excitement about the books film debut comes as Playboy Enterprises announced the return of the New York City flagship club after 30 years. The club plays a prominent role in one of the leading characters’ (Celia) story in the beginning, and it sets the stage for her dramatic entry to the Chimera group, the “investment” firm where the Rude Boys work. Fans are excited to see an African American woman be featured prominently in the infamous tightly corseted bunny suit which was once considered risqué but is tame by today’s standards. Rude Boy USA would be part of the return of the popular gangster movie genre as the remake of Scarface was just announced as well as previews for the new John Travolta Gotti Biopic have surfaced in recent weeks. Bolton has told us about what she would like to see for the film. “I have a dream cast for most of the characters. I know what it looks like but it is out of my hands.”
Rude Boy culture has not been as prominent in the United States as it has been in its birthplace Jamaica and later on in the United Kingdom. Rude Boy USA would be its official introduction to the U.S. markets with its version, the story beginning in 1969. This time the Rude Boys are a multi-cultural group of mobsters designed after the well-known gangsters of New York City’s past. Operating as an investment shell company supported by illegal activities, the Chimera Investment Group hopes to become as powerful as other crime families and gain respect from the Cosa Nostra. Bernie, a war veteran of Jewish and Greek descent, begins his business in his apartment and grows it into a multimillion-dollar empire. He and his crew (John, Ben, and Jerome) resemble a more sophisticated subculture of urban street gangsters with their Ray-Ban sunglasses, loafers, and debonair style. However, they want fear and admiration. Their efforts draw the attention of the rival Ambrosino family, and they face internal strife when one of the associates begins dating a former Playboy Club waitress who wants in on the group.
Follow Victoria Bolton at http://authorvictoriabolton.com
Update: 4/20/2017
Victoria Bolton 